(ANSA) - Vatican City, December 17 - Faithful followers held a day of prayer for Pope Francis on the occasion of his 78th birthday on Wednesday.
The initiative, called #AuguriFrancesco (Happy birthday Francis), begin at midnight on Tuesday and is run non-stop for 24 hours. As part of the festivities, on Wednesday thousands of tango dancers performed in St. Peter's Square after the general audience of the Argentinian pope, himself a keen tango dancer in his youth.
The pope also met eight homeless people, three women and five men inside the Vatican, embracing them. The homeless gave Francis a sunflower for his birthday.
Francis was elected to replace former Pope Benedict XIV in March 2013 following the latter's unprecedented abdication.
Since then, Francis has won the hearts and minds of many Catholics as well as millions of others around the world with his simplicity and human touch. "My people are poor and I am one of them," the pope has said on more than one occasion. http://popefrancisnewsapp.com/